Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes and Archetypes

1242 Pages·2017·22.38 MB·English

by  Pierre Brunel

Routledge Revivals
Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes and
Archetypes

First published in English in 1992, this companion explores the nature of the
literary myth in a collection of over 100 essays, from Abraham to Zoroaster.
Its coverage is international and draws on legends from prehistory to the
modern age, throughout literature, whether fiction, poetry or drama.
Essays on classical figures, as well as later myths, explore the origin, devel-
opment and various incarnations of their subjects. Alongside entries on wes-
tern archetypes are analyses of non-European myths from across the world,
including Africa, China, Japan, Latin America and India.
This book will be indispensable for students and teachers of literature, history
and cultural studies, as well as anyone interested in the fascinating world of
mythology. A detailed bibliography and index are included.
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Companion to Literary Myths,
Heroes and Archetypes

Edited by
Pierre Brunel
Translated by Wendy Allatson, Judith
Hayward and Trista Selous
First published in French in1988 by Éditions du Rocher, and in English in 1992 by
Routledge
Thiseditionfirstpublishedin2016byRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,Oxon,OX144RN
andbyRoutledge
711ThirdAvenue,NewYork,NY10017
RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness
DictionnairedesMythsLittéraires©1988ÉditionsduRocher
Thistranslation©1996Routledge
All rightsreserved.No part ofthis bookmaybe reprintedor reproducedor utilisedin
any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublishers.
Publisher’sNote
Thepublisherhasgonetogreatlengthstoensurethequalityofthisreprintbutpoints
outthatsomeimperfectionsintheoriginalcopiesmaybeapparent.
Disclaimer
The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and welcomes
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ALibraryofCongressrecordexistsunderLCcontrolnumber:95041300
ISBN13:978-1-138-93600-3(hbk)
ISBN13:978-1-315-67709-5(ebk)
COMPANION TO
LITERARY MYTHS,
HEROES AND
ARCHETYPES
Edited by
PIERRE BRUNEL
Translated from the French by
WENDY ALLATSON
JUDITH HAYWARD
TRISTA SELOUS
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published in French as Dictionnaire des Myths Littéraires
by Éditions du Rocher, Jean-Paul Bertrand Editeur, Paris, in 1988
© Éditions du Rocher, 1988
First published in English in 1992 as the Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes and
Archetypes by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001, USA
This paperback edition first published in 1996
This translation © Routledge 1996
Phototypeset in Ehrhardt, Linotron 300
by Intype, London
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives pic
® Printed on acid-free paper
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available on request
ISBN 0-415-13363-7
Contents
List of Entries vi

Preface ix
Further Reading 1187
Index 1211
List of Entries

Abraham 1
Adonis 8
African myths 24
AhQ/AhQism 30
Ancient Apollo 33
Androgynes 42
Andromeda 61
Antigone 69
Aphrodite 77
Apocalypse 85
Apollo, the mythical sun 102
Archetypes 110
Ariadne 118
Artemis 128
Arthur 135
The Aryan myth 149
Atlantis 153
Black Tezcatlipoca 163
Cain 174
Carmen 184
Celtic myths 190
Centaurs 209
Chinese legends and mythology 221
The Cid 227
Coatlicue, the mother goddess 241
Cosmogonie myths 255
Cronos 263
Daedalus 266
Daphne 272
David, or the journey 285
The Dictator 291
Dionysus of the Ancients 298
Dionysus: the development of the literary myth 309
Discoveries 317
The Dogon myth of creation 325
Donjuán 335
Doubles and counterparts 343
VI
LIST OF ENTRIES
Echo 383
Eden 389
Eldorado 407
Eros 412
Eternal Recurrence 420
Europa 425
Faust 431

The feathered serpent 442
The flood 450
Germanic myths 455
The golden age 460
The golden fleece 464
The golem 468
The grail 488
The great serpent 500
Gyges 507
Hamlet 517
Helen of Troy 521
Hermes 531
Heroism 557
Hindu nryths 566
Historical figures and mythical figures 578
Image and myth 586
Iphigenia 597
Ishtar 603
Isis 611
Jacob 619
Japanese mydiology 625
Jesus Christ in literature 637
Joan of Arc 646
Job 658
Judith 665
Julian 672
Koumen 681
The labyrinth 685
Lilith 720
Literary and mythological narratives 725
Literature and initiation 733
Lorelei 737
Louis XIV 747
Mandrake 758
Medea 769
Medusa 779
Melusina 788
vii